System for the prevention of freezing of liquid in a pipe line



2 Sheets-Shet -1 LIQUID IN A PIPE LINE /,FLOPP Filed Sept. 26.

SYSTEM FOR THE PREVENTION OF FREEZING OF Feb. 17. 1925.

.271 vEr/rUr FRED opp NHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED OPP, OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WALTER C. COLLINS, O'F SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA.

SYSTEM FOR THE PREVENTION OF FREEZING 0F LIQUID IN A PIPE LINE;

Application filed September 26, 1922. Serial No. 590,628.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED OPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Ana, in the county of Orange and State of California, have invented a new and useful System for the Prevention of Freezin of Liquid in a Pipe Line, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a system for the prevention of the freezing of a liquid in a pipe line, and an object of the invention is to provide means whereby either the liquid will be automatically turned off and the pipes drained or partly drained; or a circulation effected of liquid having a temperature above the freezing point thereof in the pipes, when the atmospheric temperature falls to or below the freezing point of said liquid.

The accompanying drawings invention:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a building structure provided with this newly invented system, a portion of the structure being shown in section to expose the system to view.

Fig.2 is an enlarged vertical section of the valve and its operating mechanism, the heating unit and its energizing circuit also being indicated.

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of a building structure provided with a modi fled system embodying the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of the valve in Fig. 3 and its operating mechanism, the heating coil and its energizing circuit being also indicated.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawings, the house water pipe line is indicated at 5 and the supply main at 6. The pipe line 5 and main 6 are connected with a chambered body indicated at 7.

The waste pipe is indicated at 8 and is connected with the chambered body 7. In the wall 9 of the building structure 10, in which the pipes 5 are arranged, is an electric switch 11 connected by electric wiring 12 to a battery 13 and an electric heating element 14: that surrounds a chamber 15 in the lower portion of the body 7. The chamber 15 is of materially less diameter than the pipes 5 and 6.

Now referring more particularly to Figillustrate the ure 2, the body 7 is provided in its upper portion with a chamber 16 which receives liquid through the pipe 6. Between the chambers 15, 16 is a chamber 17 with which the waste pipe 8 connects. Also between the chambers 16, 17 is a chamber 18 with which the pipe line 5 communicates. The chamber 18 communicates with the chamber 16 through a port 19 and with the chamber 17 through the port 20. The ports 19, 20 are controlled by a valve 21 having upper and lower stems 22, 23. The stem 22 engages a guide 2 1 of the body 7, and surrounding the stem 22 between the guide and the valve is a coil spring 25 tending to hold the valve 21 in position to close the port 20 as in solid lines in Figure, 2. The stem 23 passes through the chamber 17 and constitutes the shaft of a plunger 26 which fits the chamber 15. Preferably the plunger 26 has a helical groove 27 in its periphery for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed.

The chamber 15 is provided beneath the plunger 26 with a body 28 which is liquid at non-freezing temperatures of water, said liquid being of such character and the wall of the chamber 15 being of such thickness relative to the thickness of the walls of the pipes 5, 6, that the liquid 28 will freeze before the liquid in said pipes freezes.

It will now be evident that, in operation, falling of the atmospheric temperature to or below the freezing point causes the liquid 28 to freeze before the liquid in the pipes 5, 6 freezes, because of the difference in diameters between the chamber 15 and the pipes. Upon freezing of the liquid 28, it

expands and thrusts the plunger 27 upwardly so as to move the valve 21 into position to open the port 20 and close the port 19, thus shutting off the liquid supplied by the main 6 to the pipe line 5 and permitting the liquid in said pipe line 5, or at least a portion thereof, to drain through the chambers 18, 17, into the waste pipe 8. Sufiicient 1iquid will thus be permitted to drain out of the pipe line 5 to prevent bursting thereof in the event that the liquid remaining in said pipe line freezes.

The liquid can again be turned on, before the liquid 28 is thawed by a rise in temperature of the atmosphere, by closing the switch 11 so as to energize the heating element 14.

The heat from the element 14 will melt the frozen body 28 and thus cause contraction of said body so that the spring 25 will assist in returning the valve 21 to position closing the port 20 and opening the port 19. This will permit liquid to flow from the main 6 through the chambers 16, 18 to the pipe line 5.

In the event of fire occurring in the structure, steam would be generated by heating of the liquid 28 and such steam would raise the pressure to operate the valve 21 to the position to shut off the water supply to the structure, if means were not provided to permit escape of the steam. It will now be seen that the helical groove 27 permits the steam to escape from the chamber 15 and yet will not prevent the liquid 28, when freezing, from actuating the plunger as hereinbefore described.

Now referring to Figure 3, illustrating a modification of the invention, the house supply pipe line is indicated at 29 and the liquid supply main at 30. The supply main 30 connects directly with the pipe line 29 through a T 31. Connected to the opposite ends of the pipe line 29 is a chambered body 32. At its lowest level the house pipe line 29 passes through a furnace or heater which may or may not belong to the heating system of the structure 34 in which the pipes and furnace are installed. A wall 35 of the structure is provided with a switch 36 and said switch is connected by electric wiring 37 to a battery 38 and to a heating element 39 surrounding a chamber 40 in the lower portion of the body 32.

Now referring more particularly to Figure 4, the body 32 is provided with an upper chamber 41 which communicates with one end of the pipe line 29. The body 32 is provided with another chamber 42 which communicates with the other end of the pipe line 29. The chambers 41, 42, communicate through a port 43 which is controlled by a valve 44 having upper and lower stems 45, 46. The upper valve stem 45 engages a guide 47 in the body. 32, and surrounding the valve stem 45, between the guide and the valve, is a coiled spring 48 tending to hold the valve 44 in position to close the port The stem 46 extends through the chamber 42 and constitutes the shaft of a plunger 49 which is helically grooved in its periphery at 50 the same as the plunger 26 previously described. The plunger 49 fits the chamber 40 and beneath the plunger is a body 51, similar to the body 28.

\Vhen the atmospheric temperature lowers sufficiently to freeze the body 51, the expansion of said body moves the valve 44 in position to open the port 43, as indicated in broken lines in Figure 4. This completes the circuit and, therefore, permits circulation of the liquid in the house pipe line 29 through the furnace 33 so as to prevent said liquid from lowering in temperature sufficiently to freeze. It is understood that the furnace 33 may supply just sufficient heat to the liquid in the pipe line 29 to hold said liquid just above the freezing point. Thus the liquid may be used for drinking.

lVhen the atmospheric temperature rises sufliciently to melt the frozen body in the chamber 40, the valve 44 will close, thus breaking the circuit and, therefore, preventing circulation of water through the furnaces. If desired to thaw the body 51 by artificial heat, the switch 36 will be closed to energize the heating element 39.

I claim:

1. In combination, a body having chambers therein and a port connecting said chambers; pipes connected with the chambers respectively, a valve in one of the chambers to open and close the port, there being a third chamber in said body, a body of freezable liquid in the third chamber, and a plunger in the third chamber operable by freezing of the liquid body to operate the valve.

2. In combination, a body having an inlot and an outlet, a valve to control the flow of fluid through said body, a freezable liquid body in the first body, a plunger operable by freezing of the liquid body to operate the valve, and means to thaw the frozen body.

In combination, a body having an inlot and an outlet, a valve to control the flow of fluid through said body, a freezable liquid body in the first body and a plunger slidably fitting in the first boc y operable by freezing of the liquid body to operate the valve, the periphery of the plunger having a helical groove.

4. The method of preventing the freezing of a liquid in a pipe line, consisting in automatically completing a circuit of the liquid in the pipe line when the prevailing atmospheric temperature is below the freezing point of said liquid, and applying heat to the lower level of said circuit.

5. In combination, a body having an inlet and an outlet, pipes connected with the inlet and outlet respectively, a portion of the body forming a chamber of materially less diameter than the pipes. a freezable liquid body in said chamber, and a valve operated by freezing of the liquid body to control the flow of liquid from the inlet to the outlet.

6. The method. of controlling the circulation of liquid in a pipe line, the circuit of which is normally broken, consisting in automatically completing the circuit of the liquid in the pipe line when the prevailing atmospheric temperature is below the freezing point of said liquid, and applying heat to the loWer level of said circuit to heat the liquid.

7. The method of controlling the circulation of liquid in a pipe line, the circuit of which is normally broken, consisting in applying relatively low atmospheric temperatures to a liquid body to freeze said liquid body, employing the expansive force of the freezing liquid to effect completion of the liquid circuit, and applying heat to the 10 lower level of said circuit.

Signed at Santa Ana, Calit, this 31st day of August, 1922.

FRED OPP. 

